ROCK of AGES
Guitarist|August 2023
YouTube guitar maven Pete Thorn and racing driver James Cole have brought rock's greatest riffs to the stage in their stunning Classic Rock Show, powered by an enviable collection of vintage and custom guitars. We join them to find out how they've nailed the sound of legendary hits from the 70s and beyond - and are having a blast doing it
Jamie Dickson
ROCK of AGES

"I want it to be loud, a little out of control," says Pete Thorn, in his urbane Los Angeles drawl. "There needs to be some feedback."

Even if you've never watched any of Pete's highly regarded YouTube videos exploring the world of cutting-edge guitar gear, you've almost certainly heard his playing before. He's been a first-call session and sideman for huge acts such as the Eagles, Chris Cornell and Alicia Keys. Now, however, he's reflecting on what it takes to recreate rock's greatest hits on stage without the music becoming too predictable or sanitised. "There's got to be some balls..." agrees James Cole, with refreshing directness.

James is Pete's musical partner in the noble (and reassuringly loud) enterprise that is The Classic Rock Show. A veteran racing driver who has competed in Formula 2 and British Touring Car Championships, James has been the musical director of The Classic Rock Show since 2015. Apart from during the pandemic, the show has been on the road every year since 2012, packing out auditoriums up and down the country. Covering everything from Zeppelin to the Eagles and Van Halen over the course of two majestic sets, the eightstrong band has its work cut out, but, for them, it's all part of the fun.

Today, we've joined James and Pete in Eastbourne on the South Coast, which was once the scene of pitched battles between mods and rockers. They're performing here tonight, but with soundcheck not quite ready to begin, they have a bit of time spare to talk about music and show us some of the beautiful guitars they've brought on tour. To kick things off, we ask them about a challenge that all bands that cover classic material face... how slavishly faithful to the original recordings do you need to be?

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2023 من Guitarist.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2023 من Guitarist.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من GUITARIST مشاهدة الكل
New York City Guitar Shops
Guitarist

New York City Guitar Shops

For vintage guitar enthusiasts, a shopping trip to the US is surely a fixture on the bucket list.

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2025
BRIDGE OF SIGHS
Guitarist

BRIDGE OF SIGHS

While our mainly recycled build cracks on at a pedestrian pace, Dave Burrluck pauses to ponder that old chestnut: the offset bridge

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2025
BECK THE GUITAR AUCTION
Guitarist

BECK THE GUITAR AUCTION

Jeff Beck had no equal for the joyous, headstrong energy and beguiling subtlety he brought to his playing. When he died suddenly in January of 2023, he left behind the lightning rods through which his electrifying talent passed an eclectic collection of guitars, many of which are as heavily customised as the hot-rod cars that were Beck’s other ruling passion. Almost exactly two years after his passing, these legendary instruments are now set to go under the hammer in London. We join the experts from Christie’s auction house on the eve of the sale to take a closer look at Oxblood’ and other historic instruments from Jeff’s career and discuss the portrait they paint of a pragmatic, restless yet peerlessly gifted talent and his musical legacy

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2025
POWER STATION
Guitarist

POWER STATION

Founded by Jimi Hendrix mere months before his death, Electric Lady Studios was a mind-expanding creative mothership where his guitar playing reached new heights. As a new documentary explores this lost chapter, longstanding Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer and filmmaker John McDermott tell us about Jimi's final brainwave

time-read
10 mins  |
February 2025
Virtual Pedalboard
Guitarist

Virtual Pedalboard

Fractal Audio puts its Axe-Fx III effects in a conveniently sized stage-ready floor unit

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2025
Larkin Poe
Guitarist

Larkin Poe

Seventh studio album, Bloom, sees Rebecca and Megan Lovell embrace family dynamics, take the spark from stage to studio, and serve up the guitars neat”

time-read
9 mins  |
February 2025
And Your Bird Can Sing...
Guitarist

And Your Bird Can Sing...

We travel back to the future to bask in the glory of Gibson’s reincarnated 1960s rare classic, the Falcon combo

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2025
Outer Limits
Guitarist

Outer Limits

Walrus Audio revitalises its very first pedal, the Klonemulating Voyager, with some tasty additions

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2025
Top Tier
Guitarist

Top Tier

The upgraded American Ultra guitars get a subtle makeover, creating what Fender believes is its most advanced series of electric guitars. Vintage buffs, look away...

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2025
DON MUSSER ACOUSTICS
Guitarist

DON MUSSER ACOUSTICS

He’s built guitars for some of the very biggest names in the business and yet Don Musser remains a known unknown. We track him down to fill in the blanks

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2025